Caro-Kann Defense: Tartakower Variation
The Tartakower Variation, also known as the Korchnoi Variation, is 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6, a line of the Caro-Kann Defense. Read the guide
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Statistics from Lichess
3,246,034 games: White 47.3% / Draw 6.8% / Black 45.8%
| Next move | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| 1,410,5181.4M | ||
| 867,913868K | ||
| Caro-Kann Defense: Forgacs Variation | 409,052409K | |
| 160,545161K | ||
| 118,000118K | ||
| 105,027105K | ||
| 42,47642K | ||
| 33,11433K |
Rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500, from the Lichess opening explorer, updated Oct 29, 2026
Engine evaluation
+0.30 White is slightly better
Best play: 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h6 10. O-O Nd7
Stockfish 19, depth 30, after the line's last move. Scores are in pawns, from White's side.
By rating
Rating changes little here: Black scores 50% under 1400, 48% at 2200 and up and 48% in master games (wins plus half the draws).
| Players | Games | White / Draw / BlackW / D / B |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1400 | 258K | |
| 1400–1799 | 835K | |
| 1800–2199 | 2M | |
| 2200 and up | 713K | |
| Masters, over the board | 4,116 |
Master games
- Duda, J. K. – Carlsen, M.
- Svidler, P. – Carlsen, M.
- So, W. – Vachier Lagrave, M.
- Wei Yi – Ding Liren
- Wei Yi – Ding Liren
Rated blitz, rapid and classical Lichess games by rating band, and over-the-board games of players rated 2200+ from the Lichess masters database, updated Sep 26, 2026
Description
The Tartakower Variation, also known as the Korchnoi Variation, is 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nf6 5.Nxf6+ exf6, a line of the Caro-Kann Defense. After White exchanges knights on f6, Black recaptures with the e-pawn.
The idea
5...exf6 offers Black rapid development. In return Black cedes White the better pawn structure and long-term prospects, and has to be careful that White's d-pawn can become a passed pawn in the endgame.
It is regarded as sounder than the other recapture, 5...gxf6, the Bronstein-Larsen Variation.
Who plays it
Viktor Korchnoi played it many times, including in his first world championship match against Anatoly Karpov, and Ulf Andersson has also used it.
Other lines after 3...dxe4 4.Nxe4 are the Classical Variation, 4...Bf5, and the Karpov Variation, 4...Nd7.
The numbers
On Lichess White wins 47.3% of the 3.2 million games and Black 45.8%. Under 1400 Black is slightly ahead, 48.2% against 47.8%; from 2200 up White leads 47.1% to 44.1%. In 4,116 master games over the board White won 30.4%, Black 26.2%, and 43.4% were drawn.
Suggest an improvement or report a mistake
How to play against the Caro-Kann Defense: Tartakower Variation
6. c3 scores best for White: 54.3%, with White winning 50.7% and Black 42.1% of 868K games. The most played answer, 6. Nf3, scores lowest: 48.9% in 1.4M games. Stockfish's first choice is also 6. c3.
Main answers: those played in at least 5% of these games. Score: White's wins plus half the draws, in rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500. How to play against other popular openings
Popularity by year
The Caro-Kann Defense: Tartakower Variation is played more than four times as often as in 2016: 0.18% of Lichess games in 2025, up from 0.044%.
Numbers by year
| Year | Share of games | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0.044% | 15,590 |
| 2017 | 0.057% | 31,430 |
| 2018 | 0.072% | 56,318 |
| 2019 | 0.075% | 93,552 |
| 2020 | 0.084% | 246,041 |
| 2021 | 0.095% | 369,952 |
| 2022 | 0.12% | 452,296 |
| 2023 | 0.14% | 535,404 |
| 2024 | 0.16% | 571,225 |
| 2025 | 0.18% | 607,226 |
| 2026 (Jan–Apr) | 0.19% | 205,028 |
Share of rated Lichess games between players rated 1600 to 2500 (blitz, rapid and classical) that reach this position, by year; 2026: January to April. Which openings are rising and falling
Variations (2)
Sources
- History and theory: adapted from the Wikipedia article Caro–Kann Defence, version of 20 October 2026, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Results: Lichess opening explorer, figures collected from September to November 2026.
Cite this page
Caissa Codex. “Caro-Kann Defense: Tartakower Variation (B15)”. Lichess data as of 29 Oct 2026. https://chesscodex.org/openings/caro-kann-defense-tartakower-variation